In some Member States, doctrine and case law of national courts have highlighted that, under currently applicable European electoral law, elections to the EP are of a second-order, whereby European issues give way to purely domestic ones. In any event, this does not hinder the position of the EP as a genuine legislative chamber, which, above all, demands effects from electoral law that it cannot provide, since the intensity with which an election is experienced depends on circumstances external to the system itself. What electoral law can guarantee instead is the periodic holding of free elections. And that requires ensuring that the EP is appointed by the free expression of the opinion of all (and only) European citizens; that the weight of the vote is determined by rational criteria; that the electoral formula allows access to significant political currents; and that the “rule of law” is respected in the electoral process.

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欧洲议会和欧盟公民的代表：从民主的角度来看，选举法可以期待什么？

在一些成员国，国家法院的原则和判例法强调，根据目前适用的欧洲选举法，欧洲议会的选举属于次要选举，欧洲问题让位于纯粹的国内问题。无论如何，这并不妨碍欧洲议会作为一个真正的立法机构的地位，最重要的是，它要求选举法产生它无法提供的效果，因为选举的强度取决于系统外部的情况本身。选举法所能保障的是定期举行自由选举。这需要确保 EP 是根据所有（且仅）欧洲公民自由表达的意见任命的；投票的权重由理性标准决定；选举公式允许进入重要的政治潮流；选举过程中尊重“法治”。